having been stationed in Germany in the mid 80's when gas was around $3 a gallon, i think it has to do with the taxes. Now......20 years later..........they are paying over $6-7 a gallon.........and it may be headed our way in the US sooner than we all would like! Demand for oil is going up and refining capacity has not kept pace............so prices are going up. Add to that all the turbulence in the world especially near oil producing countries......spells big problems!!